Grow old with me
by GaneWhoo
Summary: Henry Swan-Mills & Carter Grant-Danvers growing up side by side, falling in love with each other and getting married, happily joking about the super long last name that Grant-Mills-Danvers-Swan is (and even if Regina & Cat are often arguing about which one comes first, the order doesn't really matter)
Hi guys !

A few things first :

\- I'm not a native english speaker and this might not be flawless, feel free to point out any mistake  
\- This is pure fiction and I adapted the showsthe way I wanted to, so don't be too surprised  
\- The title is a song by Tom Odell and it inspired me for this  
\- This is the main piece of a serie, I will write more pieces from differents PoV. Have fun and let me know if you liked it ;)

* * *

Life can be anything. Anything at all. Anything you want, really, but when you're a child, you don't think much about it.

You're just a kid, you want to play with your friends, take a swim in the ocean when summer comes, drink hot cocoa on the rainy days, watch some nice cartoons, read comic books and share all your superhero theories with everyone who would listen to you.  
You're just a kid, what would you know about being an adult, falling in love, getting married and building a life with your significant other? That's for the grown ups, parents, uncles, aunts, big cousins or … just, not for children.  
Your world, when you're small and sweet and innocent, is beautiful and full of colors. Reality is somehow lost in a strange blur of smiles, laughs, broken bones, cries, yells and dreams. Mostly dreams. You say you'll be an astronaut, a police officer, a fireman, a scientist, a mad man travelling through time and space in a blue box, a superhero like Batman or Superman or maybe even just a cat, with nine lives and so much time to sleep.

You dream about everything and all but not about True Love's Kiss or actual real breathing superheroes, it's just something your parents tell you before bedtime, straight out of a fairytale or comic book.

Yet, when it does happen to you, you believe it instantly. No questions asked, you just know it's true, it's real, it's just … right.

Because when you're the actual grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, when your mothers are the former Evil Queen and the Savior and when you fall in love with Supergirl's son, what else could you do but believe it?

You were only eight years old when a little boy, with brown curls, round chubby cheeks, a toothy smile and a pair of big, shining blue eyes as deep as the ocean collided with you. He was running your way, trying to avoid the laughing woman behind him and he didn't see you until it was too late.

He didn't even cry, he just seemed sheepish and very sorry, apologizing with a clear voice and some wordy sentences that impressed you. He told you his name, Carter Grant-Danvers. It was long but you could hear the pride and the love in his tone, in the way he accentuated both the names after the first. He added that he was six years old and you just offered a hand for him to take it, you just wanted to help him stand up.

When he actually took it, you felt it. Something deep and light at once, sparkling between your palms and then passing into your veins, coursing through your blood. It was very subtle and if you hadn't been the Truest Believer, you would never have paid too much attention to it.

But that was just it. You were and still are the Truest Believer and you knew, even back then, that it was something very close to True Love.

You saw him again a few days later, wandering on the beach with his eyes down. You realized he was searching for seashells and you smiled, fondly. By the time you reached him, you had picked up a few shells of your own and you grinned when he eyed them with interest. He was shy and it showed on his face, darting eyes looking everywhere but never into yours, half a smile that seemed almost embarrassed and he was twisting his fingers awkwardly. You smiled and pulled him out of his misery by saying something so ridiculous, you could have face palmed yourself. "Hi."

Suddenly, those ocean blue eyes were focused on you and you drowned into them, watching as the waves of uncertainty, wonder and hope were coming in and then retreating back. The sound of the actual ocean added something almost surreal to the scene and it was only when he tilted his head and frowned that you realized he had said something to you.

You apologized for not listening and he smiled, saying it was okay. You didn't know what else to tell but lucky for you, he asked you if you wanted to search for seashells with him and you nodded.

You spent the afternoon with him, sharing a comfortable silence as you helped him carry the bag of seashells, filling it with some more.

At the end of the day, as the sun was coming down into the sea, he turned to you and waved you goodbye, before darting to his house. You came home with a weird smile etched on your face, totally missing the shared knowing grin of your mothers.

It took you some time to get to him but you never gave up.

You learned that he had two mothers and you told him that you did too. After that, he seemed more relaxed, less guarded and you just assumed that it wasn't easy everyday at school, being the son of two women. You already knew he was special, very clever, very intuitive and that with the mind of a genius came some social difficulties. You had noticed he was too wordy, too serious for a six years old boy and you desperately wanted to make him understand it was okay, it wasn't wrong at all.

You listened to every one of his superhero theories and you added your own, debating with him for hours. You helped him recognize the stars, night after night for the whole summer and even when fall was already fading into winter, you would stay with him, lay down on the beach. You laughed when he first tasted hot cocoa with cinnamon on it, the grimace he made was worth it. You never pushed when he refused to talk, knowing he would come around when he was ready for it.

You spend so much time with him that eventually, you started calling his mothers by their first name. Well, one of them. You liked Kara, she was fun and awkward and so very nice. However, it took you more than a few years to had the audacity to call Carter's other mother by her first name. She was Miss Grant to you, for a long, long time. Even today, it slips through your lips.

Of course, you noticed the way Kara was sometime tilting her head to the right, mind drifting away from the conversation and she would tell some weird stuff before disappearing.  
You were never fooled and you knew who she was. Truth to be told, you knew that even before moving out of Storybrooke and into National City. You did your homework on this new town you were going to live in. You had laughed so hard when you realized that Cat Grant's wife was the city most beloved superhero. It was so very obvious, you had thought that everyone in this sunny town was blind or oblivious.

You never said anything, though. Your mothers too knew who was Supergirl but they kept the secret, because it was just the way it was. Emma was the new Captain of National City's most renowned precinct and she worked with Supergirl on a regular basis but she never said anything about it to their awkward, nice and adorable neighbour. Regina started a job as the mayor's first deputy, at the mayor's office and she had a rocky road start with the Queen of all media, also their neighbor, but they worked out and now, you were convinced they were friends. Even if they would both deny it.

You knew, your mothers knew but you waited for Carter to tell you, patiently.

You were thirteen when it happened and it wasn't in the way you wanted to find out about it.  
Carter was watching the news on the living room's big flat screen and you sat right by his side, worried for him as much as you were for the woman displayed on TV. Supergirl was fighting another man with powers just like hers. He was wearing a black suit and a ruthless expression was altering his features.  
It was war. The city was on fire, buildings were collapsing and dust was altering the images took by a street camera. CatCo was covering the news, like always when it came to Supergirl but this time, the usual high quality was not there. It was messy and scumbling, screams and sirens echoing in the background, sometimes completely muffling the commentator's voice.

For a few seconds, the screen went black and Carter stood up from the couch. He was nervous and desperate, waiting for news, checking his phone every few seconds but that was hard for him to take his eyes off the TV, like he was scared to miss anything vital. Real terror was blurring his blue eyes and you ached for him. He didn't cry and you were struck by his strength, a bit frightened too. He was only eleven years old, he should be allowed to cry.  
Suddenly, the image was back again and it showed Supergirl crashing to the ground, sliding roughly alongside a deserted road. She got up again, looking a little dizzy but she flexed her knees and took a fly.

As they watched her collide in the air with her opponent, Carter pressed the mute button and said "It's Ma." His tone was neutral, like it was just a random fact. You didn't say anything. He nodded and you realized, just like that, that he knew that you knew. He almost jumped out of his own skin when his phone started to ring and it took him a few seconds to be able to pick up.

You watched him as he paced the floor in front of you, listening to his mother. She was obviously trying to reassure him. You bit down your lip when you noticed the way he was talking to her, seriously but softly too, so very softly. It struck you because that was just Carter, your eleven years old best friend, taking care of his mother over the phone, trying to convey all his faith and innocence to her.

That might have been the moment you realized that you were indeed in love with him. But you were only thirteen and he was so young, you let it go. It was silly, really. You let it go and never thought about it until years later.

Because in the end, Supergirl returned home and you quietly exited the house to let the Grant-Danvers enjoy the reunion.

He was twelve years old when you told him who you really were. You had been a little scared at first but then you saw the way he looked at you, with hope and excitement. You answered all of his questions, even when he asked about the Evil Queen. It had been a sensitive subject but Carter deserved to know. You told him everything, from the little town of Storybrooke, Maine, to how your blonde mother returned into your life when you were only six years old. You explained you had been adopted by Regina when you were only a baby, because Emma wasn't ready to be a mother. You explained how Regina had trapped the whole town into a curse, as a way to take revenge on Snow White. You detailed how Emma had work her way into Regina's heart, breaking the curse by a True Love's Kiss.  
You were only a little boy back then but you remembered everything and Carter listened to you very closely.

Carter Grant-Danvers grew up with you alongside him. You were there, always, since that day he collided with you.

You were the first one to write down a superhero reference on his cast when he broke his right arm in six differents places, between the wrist and the elbow. He was fourteen back then. You weren't there when it happened and you still blame yourself for that, even today. He fell from the biggest tree in their school garden. Sheepishly, he explained to you that it had been a bet between him and some jackass at school and you had asked for a name. Because of his genius mind, Carter was in a special class of high school and you were only one class ahead instead of two, so you both were in the same establishment. A private one, very expensive and full of rich boys and girls.

You broke the boy's nose and threatened to expose him to the principal for breaking into the teacher's room and stealing the english tests. He never bothered Carter anymore after that.

You were there when he was still fourteen and scared that his mothers were going to get a divorce. Both of you crouched behind a wall, were listening to Cat and Kara's argument over whether or not Kara should stop being Supergirl. It wasn't the first time they argued about that and you knew that because Carter had needed to talk every time it was happening but this one was very strong, Cat yelled and Kara stood her ground. Finally, Cat threw her wedding ring at Kara, telling she didn't want it anymore.

You watched as Carter's face collapsed. He was so pale, his chin trembling because of his efforts to prevent the tears from coming down and his eyes so sad, so very very sad and scared. Instinctively, you reached out to take his hand and held it tight. You heard a strong windy noise and you knew without looking that Supergirl had flown out of the house.

Carter Grant-Danvers didn't cry when he first collided with you. He didn't cry the day he thought his Ma was going to die, nor did he cry when he broke his arm in six places but this time, that day, he cried. You didn't know what to do, what to say, how to react but you were so heartbroken to see him like that. You never did let go of his fingers and you went to bed with him, staying close to him and when he was finally asleep, you realized you were still holding his hand.

The silence between Carter's mothers lasted almost a month and they were both miserable.  
All three of them were actually.

Carter spent all of his time with you, at your place and your mothers were so great with him. Emma was always trying to cheer him up, like you were but it's Regina who got to him most of the time. She didn't do anything, she was just there. You watched him as he cooked with her, without talking. She was acting the same she was everyday and sometimes, she would just give him some instructions for the cooking part but that was it. She didn't push, she didn't try to get him to talk and you loved her for that.

Your blonde mother was at work and you just came back from your writing club after school. Regina was doing most of the pick ups at school, Carter had specifically asked for her. He didn't want to see any of his mothers and Cat had reluctantly agreed for Regina to step in, for the time being.  
You just sat at the kitchen island and you started to do your homework. The room was silent, short of the cooking noise and the voice of your mother every now and then. Soon enough, you sensed Carter's presence at your side and just like that, he pointed out the wrong parts of your algebra problem. He didn't tell you how to fix it, that was your role and you knew it. You were just glad he always helped you find where your were wrong. Because you were always wrong somewhere and even today, you're still not good at math.

Kara was staying at her sister's place.

You had seen her a few times at the Grant-Danvers house, you liked her. She was better at video games than Carter and you combined and she sometimes took you out for ice cream or some treat on the beach. You knew she worked with Kara and you even learned that sometimes, she would work with your blonde mother and the police. You had also met Lucy Lane who, as far as you knew, was Cat's best friend or something close to that. They worked together at CatCo but she also worked with the mayor's office when sensitive news needed to be handled smoothly. Regina genuinely liked her and coming from her, it was high praise and you knew it.

You saw Carter's iPhone light up and at the ringtone, you knew who was calling. Regina turned her head around to watch Carter hang up without actually taking the call. You stayed quiet and she returned to her lasagna.

It lasted a month and Carter almost didn't say a word but every night, he would leave his room to come into yours and you would pretend to be asleep, purposely ignoring your heartbeat's rise and the feeling of happiness settling down your stomach. Because it was easier that way.

Eventually, Cat and Kara figured things out between them and everything returned back to the way it was before.

At least for them, because you were missing Carter every night in your cold, empty bed. You started to miss him all the time and even when he was with you, somehow. You saw him every single day and yet it wasn't remotely enough for you. You wanted so much more and you didn't even know what more was. You wanted his smiles, every one of them, just for you. You wanted to put all of the stars into his blues eyes for them to shine forever, you wanted to hold his hand again and you thought it was silly. You were sixteen and yet you thought that wanting more than just friendship was silly.

You kept your feelings to yourself as you watched him grow up a few more years. He stopped being that shy little boy with those chubby cheeks, the toothy grin and the childish chin. He turned into a fine young man, a handsome teenager. Right in front of you, he gained some muscles, became almost as tall as you, let his hair grow a little bit longer and his smile became more playful, less innocent. The blue of his eyes got deeper and deeper, sometimes turning almost black.

He was still Carter Grant-Danvers but gone was the little six years old boy who collided with you one day, many years ago.

You were eighteen when you helped him get ready for his junior prom. It broke your heart in so many pieces, to see him so happy that evening. He was really, truly handsome in his all black tuxedo. Only the tie was a deep night blue to match his date's dress. It matched his eyes too, you noticed. He was rambling about Violet, his date, how beautiful she would be in that dress, with those shiny cute brown eyes and her hair all done in a sophisticated way. You smiled and you tied his tie without saying anything, only witnessing something you couldn't have.

The day after the prom, he told you he had been elected king and that Violet had been her queen. You only smiled and ignored the way your heart broke a little more.

It took you a few seconds to register what had just came out of Carter's mouth. "We are dating now"

You didn't say anything and this time, you couldn't even manage to smile at him. You just stood there, too shocked to do anything but stare at him. He seemed concerned and you blamed yourself for worrying him, you hated this small frown between his eyes, the sparkles of doubt in his eyes and the way he bit down at his lip.

Finally, finally, you smiled. It was so very fake but he was too happy to notice and you let it go. You let it go.

You focused on getting through senior year and applied to all of the furthest colleges from home. You even put Boston as your first wish, that way you could visit your grandparents from time to time, if you were accepted. They were sad when your mothers had told them they wanted to move, to leave Storybrooke, but they supported the decision. You missed them, sometimes.

Carter was now spending all his time with his new girlfriend and you spent most of yours writing in notebooks.

Finally, the acceptance letter from BCU came and you saw the confusion on both your mothers' face. You didn't even bother explaining and just said that you'd be moving out by the end of the summer. Regina only nodded but Emma tried to talk you out of it. You smiled softly and whispered "I need to get away from here, Ma. I'm sorry" and you went to bed.

You didn't talk with Carter about the imminent moving out to Boston. Carter didn't ask, he was too busy going out with Violet. Kara joined you one night on the beach, silently walking alongside you. When you finally headed home, she only said "You should, at least, leave him a letter, you know" and you smiled because she knew you so well. You didn't say a thing.

You were so hurt, so, so hurt. Everything was hurting and you couldn't take it anymore. You needed to get out, to breathe again and you were convinced that Boston was the solution.

You were wrong. End of summer came quickly and both your mothers helped you settle down into the college room you'd be sharing with a roommate for the next five years or so. You saw your grandparents the next weekend and then, college started.

A few months were gone just like that, you didn't even see them pass.  
You chose to spend Christmas in Storybrooke, like for Thanksgiving, and your mothers joined you there in a cloud of white and purple smoke.  
It was a white Christmas, with a very green tree and some very red hats and garlands everywhere. You didn't ask about Carter and they didn't say anything. There were smiles and songs and cinnamon, it was nice and you almost let the magic work on you. Almost.  
Because on Christmas's eve, you saw the present under the tree. You just knew. It was from Carter and you glared at it for a few minutes, before turning the look to your mothers. Both of them were looking elsewhere, trying to act as innocent as possible.

You didn't open it up before you were back in your room, in Boston. You had guessed what it was, from the shape and weight of it. A comic book, how original. You heart broke again when you saw it was one you already owned.

You threw it on your roommate's bed, wishing him a Merry Christmas. He was thrilled and you thought that at least, it wouldn't be lost for everyone.

A year passed by, fast.

Summer came around the corner and you decided it was time. You didn't call your mothers for them to bring you back by magic. You took a plane and traveled across the country, finally getting home at 2:30AM on a saturday morning. Regina was the only one up and you hugged her tightly before crashing in your bed. You slept for almost a day straight but eventually, the bright, hot sun of National City pushed you out of bed. Emma was there this time and she was the one to hug you. You leaned into the embrace, because you missed her and the way she called you "Kid" even if you were now taller than her.

July went by without Carter colliding with you and you didn't know if you were disappointed or relieved.

He showed up on the 15th of August, the very day you turned nineteen.

You told your mothers you didn't want anything big, that a barbecue on the beach would do just fine and Emma was making some homemade burgers when you saw him. He was walking, barefoot on the wet sand alongside the waves of the ocean, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a blue, gray and black plaid skirt. You noticed he was taller than you remembered. He seemed darker, too.

He stopped at a reasonable distance and just looked at you. You stared back but didn't wave, didn't talk to him, didn't do anything. It was Emma, who yelled at him to come over for dinner. She didn't mean any wrong and you knew that but still, you were annoyed now. Regina greeted him like it was only yesterday that he was in the kitchen, cooking lasagna with her. Emma gave him a diet coke and asked how his aunt was doing.

You frowned but stayed silent anyway. You turned your attention to the ocean, remembering all the time you had spent sitting on the beach, watching the sun going down. You liked it here, it had become home over the years. Storybrooke was home too but it was very different.

"Hi" You almost smiled. Many years ago, it had been your approach in front of a six years old boy. He was seventeen now. How things could have changed that much, you didn't know.

You refused to turn around so you just nodded to let him know you heard. He added "Happy Birthday" and out of nowhere, a piece of paper was forced into your left hand and you heard him walk away, saying thank you to Emma for the coke and excusing himself out.

You considered the letter in your hand and sighed, putting your can on the table beside you. Slowly, you opened the envelope and pulled out the five sheet of paper, covered with Carter's fine handwriting.  
He was better at it now, you noticed. You had told him too many times that a messy handwriting would get him in trouble but he would just dismiss it with a very Cat Grant handwave.

It took you almost an hour to go through all of it. Everything was important but not as much as the end. You smiled while reading the last three final words "I miss you" and deep down, you know you'd forgive him. It pissed you off because you wanted to stay angry at him but he was just a seventeen year old boy and he had been your friend for so long now, you couldn't blame him any longer for that.

You jumped off your chair and yelled over your shoulder "I'll be right back" and you ran. You ran after him.

You caught up with him a few feet from his house and the look of pure surprise etched on his face made you grin. Talking with him came back easily and you found yourself asking about him, about his mothers, about Alex. That's how you learned that she had to kill Kara's aunt, who was also her almost lover and you blinked at that, asking him to go over everything, from the beginning.

Soon enough, you were both sitting on the beach as he told you everything you missed when you were in Boston. You listened very closely, asking questions, throwing some jokes into it to cheer him up a little and then, he told you that Violet broke up with him after six months of relationship.

You arched a brow, not saying anything at that. Because suddenly, you realized that you had no right at all to be mad, to be jealous and to run across the country for that. You had acted like a jerk and your friend had been through some rough time without you.

"She cheated on me with another dude, I don't even know his name. Then she broke up with me." You saw red and gritted your teeth at that. He smiled at you, probably amused by the look in your eyes. "It's okay, I got over it. Truth is, I don't think I loved her. Not … really, anyway. "

You frowned, confused. You had listened too many times when he was gushing about Violet, always perfect, looking good, smelling good, doing good, all of that. Perfect little princess Violet, like he had actually called her one time.

"I don't understand, you were clearly head over heels in love with her … Why would you say something like that ?" You asked, eager to understand. You were looking at Carter and he blushed a little, seeming suddenly uncomfortable. Your frown got deeper and you refrained the urge to ask. You knew him and he wouldn't talk under pressure so you just waited. It didn't took long before he mumbled between gritted teeth "I couldn't … uh. I mean. When we first …"

You bit down your bottom lip, hard. You tried so hard not to laugh you could taste blood in your mouth. Instead, you waited a few more minutes and he finished "I didn't love her and I don't miss her. At all." At that, you focused again on what he was saying. You narrowed your eyes at him, sensing he wanted to say something else. You watched him struggle with words, practically hearing the wheels turning into his mind. You waited, silently.

"I … I missed you. I miss you. You were gone and I didn't noticed right away. That's my fault. I was … You were always here and then, suddenly, you disappeared. I didn't understand. I still don't, to be honest. It had been hell for a year and I wanted to call, I wanted to write and I even asked your mothers if I could come with them the next time they would visit you. That's how I learned you were coming back for the summer. I didn't know what to think. I still don't. "

You stayed silent but you weren't looking at him anymore. Your eyes wandered across the ocean and you thought back of all these months without Carter. Sometimes, you had missed him so much it had been hard just to breathe.

" Would you tell me? Why you left, I mean."

You smiled sadly at that. What could you say besides that you were only a stupid jackass, head over heels in love with him and not brave enough to face it, let alone tell him? You slowly shook your head and whispered "I don't know if I can". Your eyes were still focused on the ocean when you felt Carter's hand dig out your own from the sand and slide his fingers between yours.

Your heart missed a beat. Then two. Fireworks exploded into your mind and you couldn't think of anything right now. Anything at all. Carter's skin was warm and soft and he squeezed your fingers with a mixture of force and delicacy and suddenly, your heart started to beat again. So very fast, it was thundering against your ribcage, threatening to destroy it. You could feel the blood pulsing in your fingertips but it didn't matter. At all.

"Will you try ?"

You swallowed against the lump in your throat.

Being the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, having the redeemed Evil Queen and the Savior for mothers was not helpful at the moment. You could have used some advice on how to be brave and face your own feelings, right now. But you had read too many fairy tales to know that the answer was in yourself. Every story was different, after all.

You took a deep breath and held on to Carter's hand before explaining "I left because … Because I was hurt. You were forgetting me, spending all of your time with your girlfriend and it was … I couldn't take it. Your relationship with her lasted and my highschool years were over so, when it came, I took the opportunity to leave."

Somewhere along the explanation, all of your courage was suddenly gone. You wanted to tell him you loved him but you got scared. You didn't lie but you didn't said all of the truth either.

"That's not it. You're Henry Swan-Mills and I don't believe you. There is something more and you don't want to tell me"

You almost smiled. Of course, you had forgotten how intuitive he could be sometimes. He didn't let go of your hand and you swallowed again. This time, you turned your head just enough to face him and you let it out.

"I love you. I have loved you since that day you collided with me, eleven years ago and you know, at first I thought it was stupid, it was silly, how could a young eight years old boy could fall in love with a six years old one? But it happened and I loved you every day since that first one. It just got stronger and stronger and stronger and then, you were suddenly happy with Violet and I had no right to be jealous, to be mad, you were just a kid but so was I and … and I left. Because you weren't mine and I couldn't stand that thought anymore."

You closed your eyes at the end of your speech, terrified. You could have laughed at yourself, if you hadn't been so terrified of Carter's reaction. Nineteen years old boy, practically a man now, afraid of being rejected by his younger best friend. How mature.

Out of nowhere, gentle, shy lips were on yours. Again, your heart stopped and you thought that it had for good this time. It was like a dream and yet, when the pressure on your lips got slightly stronger, you opened them.  
When Carter's tongue gently slided across your own, your heart started up again and suddenly, it was like you were living again. Truly, really living. It was like coming to the surface after being short of air for too long and your mind blanketed, unable to focus on anything but that mouth pressed against yours. You let out a small sigh and reached out a hand to drape it around Carter's neck, keeping him close.

Finally, you both needed air and you reluctantly broke the kiss, breathless but eyes shining with a mixture of adrenaline, uncertainty, hope and love. Carter smiled widely and you watched his lips move, enraptured by their shining nuance of red.

You leaned further in, capturing the bottom one between yours and pulling on it a little. You heard Carter's small gasp and smiled, not letting go of his lip. Then you moved again and kissed him, fully, deeply, almost furiously. He tasted like chocolate and there was some sugar from the diet coke he had drank earlier on the evening. Night was all over you now and bright burning stars were witnessing your kiss, along with the ocean waves echoing nearby you and the sand screeching under your bodies.

You broke off the kiss to breathe again, deeply. Then, you whispered "Happy birthday to me, indeed".

You stayed with Carter for a good part of the night, catching up with the rest of his missing year, kissing him, holding his hand and leaning onto him, your smile never leaving your face. He never told you he loved you back but it didn't matter. You knew it.

When you got home in the middle of the night, you found a cake in the kitchen with a note "Happy Birthday Henry, we will see you in the morning. Sleep well, kid" You laughed at the last word, clearly added by Emma when Regina wasn't looking. You went to bed but only to be texting Carter until 6:00 AM. Then, finally, sleep came to claim you and you didn't wake up until noon.

"Alright kid, you do know you turned nineteen, not sixteen again? What's with you and the sleeping through the day thing?"

Emma looked at you with narrowed eyes, just coming home from work. It was sunday and there had been an emergency but now she was helping you set the table, outside on the terrace. You smiled at her and she arched a brow, before grinning widely. "Regina Honey, did you know our kid is in love?"

You were going to protest but the memories of last night came rushing in front of your eyes and you smiled again, fondly this time. No need to deny it, you thought. Instead, you told them over lunch and you heard Regina say "I'm very happy for you Sweetie, it was about time." Your eyes widened at that and she winked. Surprised, you asked " You knew ? All this time, you knew ? "

She nodded and added "I knew but I was waiting for you to tell us, Honey. I'm very glad you did." Then, she asked you if you wanted some tomato salad.

August went faster than a Supergirl flight, to you. You spent the rest of the month with Carter, kissing him, holding his hand in public, playing in the ocean with him, looking at the stars all night. He asked you to stay with him but you gently told him it was too late to be transferred from BCU to National City University. He seemed sad and you kissed his temple, ever so gently, promising him you'd arrange the transfer for next year.

He was there when you passed the boarding gates of National City Airport. He waved you goodbye and you saw he was trying his best not to cry. You made a funny face and he laughed, you thought about that sound for the length of the fly. You still smiled when you finally got into your room, greeting your roommate with a distracted wave.

You got home for Christmas and this time, it was your grandparents' turn to join you in National City. You introduced Carter to them, amused by how nervous he was. They loved him right away and you saw him relax and enjoy the evening. He got home before bedtime and you tried to hide how disappointed you were. He saw it in your eyes and smiled softly, explaining he didn't want to rush things. You understood and you let him go, because he was yours and you knew he would still be yours tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. And again and again and again.

You offered him the complete anthology of Queen for Christmas and he jumped from excitement and joy, so very happy. You were too, when you saw what was the present he got you. A very rare and precious edition of the first X-men comics book, only published in a limited number.

The rest of the year flew by, punctuated by calls, letters, skype sessions and some real meeting, during holidays. You arranged your transfer to National City University and it was granted to you almost immediately.

A month before you turned twenty, you were home again. Your mothers were so happy to have you back, they threw a surprise party for you and Carter was there, smiling at you in the middle of a loud crowd of friends and parents. You were overwhelmed by happiness and love.

You were finally twenty and two days when Carter stayed for the night, wanting more than just sleep with you this time. He was so nervous, you did your best not to laugh at him. Because he was so very handsome, with those dark shining blue eyes, the shy seductive smile and the messy hair falling around his head, enlightened by the moonlight. He smelled like salt, sand and sun and he tasted exactly like that. You guided him through every step, with love and patience and you told him you would wait forever, if he wasn't ready.

Waking up with his sleeping body between your arms was the best feeling in the world and that day, you just knew you wanted it to last forever. You could have laughed, really. True Love and Happily Ever After weren't just some fairy tales to you but it seemed so real this morning, so true and you had a panic attack. What if you weren't enough, what if he didn't loved you the same way you did, what if he was just telling you it wouldn't work, what if in ten years he wasn't happy anymore with you ?

You heard his voice emerging from the pillow "Stop panicking, I'm not going anywhere. Now please, let me sleep."

Then you laughed. A real, deep laugh, coming from your heart and you held him tighter against you. You kissed the back of his neck and whispered an apology but he was already back to sleep.

Your relationship lasted. You were twenty one when he turned nineteen and you were nervous. You had been a couple for the past two years and you loved him more and more with every single passing day but the gift you were about to give him was big and scary and it was every bit a commitment. You had asked Miss Grant and Kara first and they gave you their approval. Supergirl had been so excited, you thought she would give everything away with her big, bright smile.

Finally, you gave him the small box and he looked at you with a mixture of confusion, hope and disbelief. You tried to smile. He opened it and pulled the key out in the light, blinking at it with a slight frown. You heard yourself ask him "Would you move in with me?"

You remembered the smile he offered you, so bright, so full of love and hope and impatience, it struck you how much you loved him.

He moved in with you while finishing his second year of superior school and you were so proud of him. He had been accepted in the National City Institute of Technology and he was already working on building his own company, something that could totally compete with Lord Technologies. He was taking business evening classes and Lucy Lane was regularly dropping by your apartment.

By the time he actually graduated, he had already launched his company out to the world and you were his date at the opening gala.  
He was only twenty one and he would achieve his PhD within two years. He looked so smart and handsome, in his gray suit, white shirt and blue tie, with his messy hair and shining blue eyes. You loved the way he played mind games with Max Lord and you had to bit down your lips when you saw him win.

One year after graduation, he was almost twenty five and he told you that he wanted to buy Lord Technology in a hostile takeover. Max Lord's company was heading to bankruptcy and Super Grant Tech was growing bigger and bigger every year since it was launched. You arched a brow but nodded anyway and you were there in the office, witnessing Max Lord handing over his baby to Carter Grant.

You asked him this very same year if you could look out to buy a house.

You bought a beach house not so far away from where you both grew up on the very day you needed to sign for the status of your own company. You were already a well famous author, with a large number of best-seller on your list but you had wanted to help young authors to have it big so you founded your own publishing house. All your books were published by this house now, with the logo Kara designed for you, a crowned apple floating over a sword planted on a roc.

You were twenty eight when you lied to him one night, pretending to work late but instead, went to Carter's beach house and knocked to the door, so very nervous.

Cat answered and you were struck by how small she was. You had seen her almost every day for the last twenty years or so but she had always seemed ferocious, determined and somehow taller. She smiled at you and it slipped through your lips "Hi, Miss Grant". You heard Kara laugh, somewhere in the back of the house and you corrected yourself quickly "I mean, Cat. Hi Cat."

She invited you to come in and you followed her into the living room. You sat down on one of the couch, in front of Cat and Kara. They were shoulder against shoulder and you loved how intimate and innocent it was at once. Kara tilted her heart and smiled softly at you. You knew she was waiting for you to ask, you realized she knew what you wanted to ask. She didn't say anything and you were grateful for that, it was scary enough.

Yet, as usual, you let it all go in one rambling "I wanted to ask for your permission to marry your son. I mean, I would love to ask Carter to marry me and I wanted to know if that was okay with you first, you know, since you are his mothers and it's very important to him and to me and …"

Cat stood up and you stopped talking, blinking at her. She was smiling and you recognized it. That smile. It was what you called Carter's smile, she would always smile at him that way, with tenderness, kindness, love and a nuance of amazement. She took your hand and told you yes, just like that. Kara was smiling too, even with the tears of joy running down her cheeks. She nodded and you knew it was a yes. You showed them the ring, a simple silver band with nothing on it but you explained that you would have both your names written down in the inside. You didn't said you wanted it to be done magically.

You proposed to him a few weeks later and you didn't do it the way you planned to. He picked up a fight with you about your lie. How did he find out you hadn't worked late that night, you didn't even know. Not at first but when you accused him of not trusting you enough, he gave you that look. That terrible look, full of disappointment, confusion and sadness, mixed with anger and you felt guilty for lying to him. He told you, in a very cold, very Grant tone, that he had cooked for you and brought it to you at work, only to find out you weren't at your office. You didn't even try to deny it, not when he was looking at you that way. You loved him, even when he was mad at you. Those blue eyes that could enrapture you were almost black and he wasn't smiling a bit but you loved him anyway, he was your everything.

You didn't even think, you just acted. You kneeled in front of him and you pulled out the small black box lined with silver. You swallowed and let it out, like you always did.

"I … I am sorry, Carter. I was at your beach house, I needed to talk to your mothers. I wanted to ask for their permission and I didn't wanted you to find out so I lied. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that to you. Truth is, I am terrified and it's stupid because I'm so sure of myself, it's like I was born for this day, for it to happen and … I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I'm nervous and scared and … "

He looked at you with wide eyes now, confused but listening. His eyes were returning to that shade of ocean you liked so much, better than the black one. You opened the box, took a breath and then asked " Carter Grant-Danvers, would you marry me?"

You heard the loud gasp and you watched it escape Carter's mouth. He tried to cover it with his hand but it was too late, you had heard it. You drowned in those eyes, like you did so many years ago on the beach. Back then, he had been a little boy and now he was a beautiful young man. Fascinated by the love shining in his eyes, you didn't talk, you didn't move and it took you a few minutes before remembering to breathe in.

His lips were suddenly on yours and you lost track of time as he kissed you fiercely, conveying all his love for you. You tried to return it but you just knew you could never express how much you loved him. Even with all those years you shared, all the mornings together, the kisses, the lovemaking, the domestic gestures, the holidays traveling around the world, you just knew it was impossible.

Hesitantly, you broke the kiss and asked "Is that a yes?"

He laughed but you heard it anyway "It is" and you kissed him again.

The ring fit perfectly and he loved it.

He only took it off the day of your wedding, to trade it for the exact same band but with your names on it.

 _Henry & Carter Grant Mills Danvers Swan_

You had heard Cat and Regina argue about which name should comes first and you had laughed at that, eyes on your husband. Your twenty seven years old husband was talking with his other mother but he smiled widely, you knew he had heard the argument. Emma put her arms around one of your and you smiled at her. You were too tall now, she couldn't get a grip around your shoulder like when you were just a kid.

"I like to see you this happy, Kid."  
You laughed and smacked her on the arm, protesting against the sweet name but without too much force because you actually liked it. You were still her kid, after all.

"So, how is it to experience True Love, Happily Ever After and all that fairy tales stuff? Do you plan to give us some grandchildren soon too?"

You saw Carter blush at that and you arched a brow, amused. You had talked with him about that and you knew he wanted kids. It was you, who wasn't so sure.

"Miss Swan-Mills, stop bothering our son and let him dance with his newly appointed husband."

You watched as Regina came close to Emma, putting her hand on your other mother's back. You had seen that gesture so many time when growing up, you didn't even notice it anymore. But today, you saw it and you saw Emma's smile soften as she turned her eyes at Regina.

You heard Carter's voice in your ear, shivering when you felt his breath land on the small patch of skin behind your earlobe "May I have this dance, Mister Grant-Mills-Danvers-Swan?"

You laughed and told him you should come with a short name for that super long last name but you took his hand and let him guide you to the dancefloor.

You leaned onto him as the music started, whispering in his ear "I love you". He never told you he loved you back but you didn't mind. He showed you he did, every single day.

You heard him sing softly :

 _I can feel you breathing_  
 _With your hair on my skin_  
 _As we lie here within_  
 _The night_

 _I'll pull the sheets_  
 _When it's cold on your feet_  
 _Cause you'll fall back to sleep_  
 _Every time_

 _Grow old with me_  
 _Let us share what we see_  
 _And oh the best it could be_  
 _Just you and I_

 **THE END**


End file.
